Kaplan (surname)
Kaplan or Caplan is a family name common among Ashkenazi Jews, usually indicating descent from the priestly lineage (the kohanim). It should be noted that this is the etymological origin of the Hebrew surname Cohen. Etymologically, the word originates from the Latin term, capellanus or cappellanus, an office given to persons appointed to watch over the sacred cloak (cappa or capella) of St Martin of Tours.[1]. In German the term kaplan means chaplain or curate [2]. The word is extant in other languages as well, for example in Polish where the term kapłan translates as priest,[3], or in Norwegian where it also has the meaning of priest while retaining the original, elongated form. Additionally, Kaplan can be a Turkish surname meaning tiger. [4]
One of the earliest modern records of Kaplan as a family name is that of Abraham Kaplan in 1698. Distinguished bearers of the name include the Polish preacher and philanthropist Nachum ben Usiel Kaplan (1811-1879), the Latvian-born Hebrew poet Seeb Wolf Kaplan (1826-1887) and the Russian-born Zionist workers' leader Eliezer Kaplan (1891–1952), the first minister of finance of the state of Israel.[5][6]
The name "Kaplan" is an English transliteration. Alternative spellings include Caplan, Caplin, Koplen, Koplin, Kaploun, Kaplun and Copland. In the United States, immigrants of Jewish origin arriving at the port of Baltimore received a "C" - Caplan, whereas those who arrived at the port of New York City (Ellis Island) received a "K" - Kaplan.[7]
Motto
The Kaplan motto is "labor omnia vincit" in latin or "perseverance overcomes all difficulties." [8]
Coat of arms
As the origin of the Kaplan surname suggests, the name predates the medieval usage of coats of arms. But according to scholars of heraldry, members of the Kaplan lineage left ancient Israel during the Jewish diaspora, found roots in Europe (mainly Germany, Austria and England), and struck their own coat of arms as was popular during Christian times [citation needed].
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Germanic Coat of Arms
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English Coat of Arms
Germanic Coat of Arms
As "Kaplan" is Germanic in spelling and still found spelled this way throughout Europe, it is assumed by many historians [citation needed]that high priests from Ancient Israel took root in Germanic Europe (modern Austria and Germany) during the Jewish diaspora and struck the first Kaplan coat of arms[citation needed]. This blazon is similar to other Germanic coats of arms derived from Jewish names (such as "Mendelson") where no images of any living creatures were used, and only colors to represent the family name. The tradition of not using living creatures (human or animal) as symbols is consistent with the Jewish position on idolatry. It was also popular for families to borrow colors from their nation's monarch's crest in their own family crests to simply distinguish the home of that family [citation needed]. This is evident in that Jewish family crests in Germanic Europe (such as those belonging to Kaplan, Mendelson, et al.) are similar in color and pattern to what has evolved into the modern flag of Germany and flag of Austria.
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Kaplan Coat of Arms
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Mendelson Coat of Arms
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German Flag -
Austrian Flag
English Coat of Arms
As Kaplans migrated throughout Europe to England, the Kaplan coat of arms took on more of an ornate form similar to other British families of the late Middle Ages [9]. Symbols such as lions and dragons had become popular and eventually found their way too into the Kaplan family coat of arms.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ [http: http://www.wordreference.com/deen/kaplan]
- ^ Polish Dictionary
- ^ [2]
- ^ Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora
- ^ What's in a name? Kaplan at JewishGen.org
- ^ A Beginner's Primer in U.S. Jewish Genealogical Research
- ^ [3]
- ^ Davies, T.R. (Spring 1976). "Did National Heraldry Exist?". The Coat of Arms NS II (97): 16.